Tartan (Plaid) Is More Than Just for Christmas!

As I think back, I think I’ve always loved plaids, and especially the traditional tartans. (As an aside, according to Wikipedia, “Tartan is often called plaid in North America, but in Scotland, a plaid is a tartan cloth slung over the shoulder as a kilt accessory, or a plain ordinary blanket such as one would have on a bed.” Isn’t that interesting?) So…"Tartan plaid” is a repetitive term, thus my title having plaid in parenthesis.

I wish I’d had time to look for a picture of myself when I was probably 4 or 5, dressed in a a Black Watch (cotton) dress with a matching Black Watch purse! It was taken at the Havana airport when my parents and I were traveling to or from the US to Cuba. I’ll have to find that and share :).

As a family we’ve always recognized the Epiphany, and lucky children that we were, the Three Kings made a stop at our home even when we came to the US. AND they did not visit American homes! Lucky us! Now that we have grands and we’ve started also hosting a party to celebrate the Epiphany (HERE), it seems that we’re enjoying the Twelve Days of Christmas even more. So much so that this year, unlike other years, I was in no hurry to take the tree down! By the time we had the party we’d already de-Christmased by putting a way the Santas, the stockings, and other decorations that started to say “Christmas” a little too loudly, and what was left felt glow-y and calm. We didn’t even take the tree down until January 10!

Our Christmas china cabinet went from this:

To this:

The Boehm Chickadee and Holly china stayed because it’s not a Christmas pattern—it’s a winter pattern. I took away the feather Christmas trees, the poinsettias, etc., and left it as a winter scene, including touches of red (I’m loving red this January—could it be to add color to my world, given all the snow and rain and gray, very cold days we’ve had??). Anyway, more on the china cabinet in another post.

So, in my “red” mood, I decided to BRING ON THE TARTAN! I hadn’t really been able to do much with plaids at Christmas, and really, tartans are a year-round design element, but particularly effective during the winter months.

  During Christmas this writing desk was the playful area—it’s where I placed the two gingerbread houses the two oldest chickadees made, and that set the tone for a candyland setting (that too, will be another post, now probably closer to Christmas 2014).

My father’s suitcase (you can read about it HERE), as well as the old wood trunk had lived under the writing desk already, so I was happy to put my dad’s suitcase to use by filling it with plaid throws and tablecloths. The now-ubiquitous-to-my-decorating hydrangeas filled the blue-and-white cachepot.

I’ve always loved the mix of tartan and silver and gold, so the vignette consists of shiny, mellow silver pieces and blue-and-white pieces. The roses in the background are from the Three Kings Celebration! They’re starting to show their age, but those of you who’ve read my posts on roses know how much I love roses as they age ever so gracefully.

Blue and white and silver…classic.

The cordials are set in a smaller gallery tray that then sits within the larger gallery tray, to provide more interest and texture to the setting, softened by…you guessed it, hydrangeas! (I keep them in a large plastic bin, which makes it easy to reach for them as needed.)

These vintage damask napkins with their plaid touch are near and dear to me—they, and the matching tablecloth—were often in use at our dinner table when I was growing up. My mother and grandmother (who lived with us) always, always, always set the dinner table with a tablecloth.

This corner is bringing me a lot of new-year cheer, because it showcases many of my favorite things: blue and white, silver, crystal (the vase), and plaids.

Not to mention actually having my dad’s suitcase in use in a more “interactive” way.

 

So tell me, how do you feel about tartan other than at Christmas? Do you use it other times of the year? Are you one of the luckies who have a room with plaid upholstery, OR even plaid wallpaper? If you do, I’d love to see pictures! I hope you’ll share!

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NOTE: Some of the items I use in my posts are in my Etsy shop, but many are not, simply because I haven’t updated my shop. If you see something you like and wonder if it’s available for sale, email me at coral5252@gmail.com and let’s talk!

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From my nest to yours~

Zuni

Valentine China Cabinet

Valentine’s Day is around the corner, and at our house we’re sure to celebrate—the chickadees are a perfect excuse to decorate for any holiday!  So the red and white and hearts are out!

The china cabinet is always one of the first things to get a refresher.  I had whites and silver there since after Christmas, when our eyes and home needed a “rest,” so I simply added some reds and we were ready for Valentine’s Day.  Little Miss Chickadee likes to go through and see what I’ve added.

The red roses are from the Valentine table (aren’t you always sad to take a tablescape down?  I am!)  You can see that table here.

Isn’t it fun to play with Picasa? I used the Waterford Kinsale vase in the Valentine table centerpiece, but it was hard to see it with the ivy around it.

Would you like to join me for a bit of Bailey’s?  Always a favorite treat.

Before my blogging days (and before Little Miss Chickadee was around or old enough to notice), I didn’t have many Valentine decorations.  This vase is now a favorite.  It, too, was part of the Valentine tablescape—did you notice it?  As were the hydrangeas, which are from last summer.  I find that I keep using them over and over again in different places, because I think they’re so pretty and fragile.

Someday I’ll have to do a post on why I have these cups, which for now I’ll call double-espresso cups, but they are for something much more yummy!  The darling teapot is a gift from my sweet friend Cookie.  I wonder if she remembers that she gave it to me?

The silver sugar scuttle is versatile.  Of course~candy for Valentine’s Day!

While I didn’t have many Valentine-specific decorations, I do have quite a bit of red around the house, because I LOVE red.  To me it’s such a versatile color—I can use it for Valentine’s Day, Christmas, the fourth of July, and just about any other time, which I do!  It’s a great accent color for me.  Do you like red that much?  Or is it too….RED?

  This darling tureen is a gift from my mother which I use quite often as a gravy boat, or for sauces, or even salad dressing when we have a larger group.

Can you believe that a college student makes these gorgeous glass serving pieces as a way to earn money for school?  We visited her booth at an art show while we were vacationing on Anna Maria Island a few years ago.  It’s very, very fragile, but boy, does it have WOW factor when it’s on the table!

The red Tiara glass was originally on the stack of plates, until…

  …the roses earned the coveted spot once they were past their prime and no longer suitable for the vase.  As I’ve mentioned before, I love “old” roses.  You can see lots of them here.

Did you notice that the top was bare in the first picture?  Are you that observant?  After the pictures were taken touches of red and silver were added.

There’s a bit of a love story behind this cruet set.  When I was a teenager, a friend of my mother’s was getting married, and her MIL-to-be gave her a vintage/antique cruet set.  I thought it was LOVELY, and since that time I’ve wanted one, but just never ended up buying one.  So about six months ago this lovely set appeared at an auction…and now IT’S AT HOME WITH US!  So it just took me a few {decades} to have one.  The wait was long enough to make its homecoming all the more special!  Believe me, it wasn’t in this pretty, shiny condition when it arrived, but it was truly a labor of love to bring it to its full splendor. 

Are there pieces like that, that you want but for one reason or another haven’t gotten?  What is it for you?  What is on your WISH LIST?  This is testament to the fact that if we wait, the things we cherish long term will eventually come to us, and the fleeting wishes will disappear.

So here’s wishing you a happy Valentine’s Day around your home.  May your hearts be filled with love for all.

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